This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 4-star CB prospect Dominick Kelly. He is rated as the nation’s No. 32 CB for 2025 on the 247Sports Composite. The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the No. 16 CB and at No. 169 overall for 2026.
Georgia beat Tennessee on Saturday in Sanford Stadium, but it wasn’t all fireworks and black jerseys this weekend.
The Bulldogs lost a 2026 commitment in Dominick Kelly over the weekend, but that turned out like Mike Bobo’s play sheet on Saturday night.
That lost 4-star 2026 cornerback became the 25th commitment of the 2025 class. It was just one of those good news weekends that included a new TE commit for the 2026 class to replace that lost commit.
That development was visible to the public after seeing Kelly in the front row wearing the gold official visitor badge on Saturday. It had been in works for awhile. Kelly told DawgNation in early October he had been planning it for awhile but wanted to take his official visit first.
He then planned to publicly share his reclassification to 2025 the week after the UT game. But the word leaked out on Saturday night as other outlets reported his planned move.
“If it happens, it happens,” Kelly said last week of that possibility.
Kelly was still fine with how everything turned out this weekend.
“It was great,” he said. “I had a fun time. It couldn’t have gone any better.”
The 4-star junior actually gave UGA some push over the weekend. His reclassified commitment actually lifted UGA to the nation’s No. 2 class for 2025. It also gave the Bulldogs their fifth DB pledge for this cycle.
The Florida native recently measured at just over the 6-foot-1 mark in Athens. He weighed in at 178 pounds.
It also extends the Georgia football streak of signing players out of IMG Academy. When Kelly signs during the early period next month, it will mark the seventh straight cycle the Florida boarding school national powerhouse will send a prospect to Athens.
He was hosted by former 5-star and IMG Academy 5-star cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and freshman corner Ondre Evans over the weekend.
What was the best part of his official?
“The game,” he said. “It was the best environment I’ve ever been in and the outcome was what we wanted.”
Pay close attention to that “we” part of that quote there. He had been up to see several home games this fall. That’s pretty hard to do considering there have been a scant number of home games so far this season.
While he has reclassified, he won’t be taking any officials to see any other programs.
“I’ll be signing in December and be on campus shortly after,” he said.
Kelly now stands as the second cornerback prospect in this class. But he’s more of a pure corner or a nickel than 4-star Douglass corner Jontae Giblert among this year’s recruits.
Give credit to first-year cornerbacks coach Donte’ Williams here.
“At this point coach Donte is like family,” Kelly said.
It goes deeper than just a recruiting push. When Kelly initially committed to UGA in July, it was a flip from USC. He had originally committed to Williams when he was with the Trojans.
“The relationship I have with Donte,” he said of his original commit to UGA. “He’s a great coach. We’re really close and then also the reputation of the program. In my opinion, there’s no better place for a DB to go right now. They are constantly spitting out DBs at the highest level. You can see the alumni that are in the NFL right now not to mention playing in the best conference in all of football and having the opportunity to compete for national championships.”
“It was something that I really couldn’t pass up. Seeing somewhere that has that pedigree of developing DBs playing at the next level and playing at a high level while you are in college.”
Dominick Kelly: How he fits in with the Georgia football program
Let’s take a quick look at his senior film at IMG Academy.
There’s a lot to like here. Especially that first clip where he smothers the wideout and then comes up with the pick. That play was made facing the daunting national schedule IMG always takes on.
The next clip is a physical hit where he flies to the ball and punishes the receiver. It just keeps going.
But the thing that really comes to mind about Kelly is he loves ball. He eats it. That’s about as good a compliment as we can give the tremendous athletes Georgia recruits for its defense these days.
There’s a story that best illustrates what he is all about. There comes a point in every game where maybe the top senior prospects that were in town on visits had checked out in the second half of the game.
Those front-row recruits are no longer in the front row after halftime.
That’s not Kelly. While others left their seats for the recruiting lounge, he’d always move up to the same front row he was sitting in with his official visit group on Saturday night. He just couldn’t pass up the chance to watch UGA play up close from one of the best seats in the house.
“It soaks up all my attention because ball is all I know,” he said. “I love the game tremendously. For me honestly, it is hard to go without it for a long period of time. It is all I know. When I do have breaks or when I do have something, I’m so ready to get back into it because I love it so much.”
He wasn’t there for selfies either. He was plugged into what Georgia was doing with its DBs on every snap. Kelly did that for two straight weekends in October because he’s all about ball.
“That’s it 1000 percent,” Kelly said. “I’m a football junkie. Any time that I’m able to see something at that high of a level, I’m not there for the ambiance of it. I’m there to see some football. I want to see what is going on. I’m studying every aspect of the game. Whenever I have an opportunity to watch it and soak up some information, I want to. That’s why you will see me up front and center. I want to be at the game.”
“I want to see some things that other people might not see from just watching on TV. I really value that experience. I’m really there to watch the games. I’m not there to just be there to be hosted as a recruit.”
The recruits who do that wind up playing early and flashing early in Athens. They usually go on to great careers in Athens. We’ve seen it over and over every cycle.
Not every top prospect is wired like that.
“I think a lot of guys might have some external motivations for their why,” Kelly said. “But for me, it is just love of the game. Truly. I have an addiction and a love to the game.”
When he gets 38 and old, he will be coaching football.
“Yes sir,” he said. “That’s me. 1000 percent.”
The hurricane that hit the Bradenton area in South Florida disrupted his senior year at IMG Academy. That’s how he was able to be in the stands for UGA’s last three home games against Auburn, Mississippi State and now Tennessee.
The Auburn and Mississippi State games showed him everything he needed to in order to reclassify.
“Every time I go it is the same message and the same vibe around,” he said. “Every one I speak to is the same person when I come back. There is no difference in the program and no change. Everyone is just extremely consistent and the same people and every time I go, it is more and more feeling like it is getting close to me being there and this is where I belong and this is really meant to be.”
The fit he will have in the Georgia secondary is interesting.
“For me personally, I’m willing to play where ever any coach wants me to play” he said. “Where ever I fit best in the secondary and where ever they feel. But from what I’ve only spoken to Donte’ and from whatever I’ve gotten from the staff it is just corner.”
What will he bring to the program when he arrives?
“Being that it is Georgia,” he started off. “Being that they have the guys that are already there, I’m not coming in with a set expectation of what I need to do and where I should be. What I want to be is try to be as consistent as possible. I know that’s something that a lot of younger players struggle with. Just being consistent as possible and really soak up as much information from the guys that are ahead of me. Those are special guys.”
“I know I can learn a lot from them and just adjust to it and becoming a Georgia football player as fast as possible if that makes sense. Really getting into the routine and doing the right things. Soaking up the right information and working my way in.”
His favorite NFL player is Stephon Gilmore. That’s where his “DLock” nickname comes from.
“That’s who I kind of model my game after,” he said. “His nickname is ‘Gilly Lock’ and that’s what people call him. That’s kind of my own play on his nickname incorporating my name and also a tribute to him.”
SENTELL’S INTEL
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